Bella Thorne Opens Up About Being Sexually Abused Throughout Childhood

Actress Bella Thorne spoke out in an Instagram posted Sunday about being sexually abused as a child.

The 20-year-old actress wrote in a photo caption that she was “mistreated” at an early age. Thorne doesn’t name her alleged abuser, but writes that the abuse stopped when she was 14.

“I was sexually abused and physically growing up from the day I can remember till I was 14..when I finally had the courage to lock my door at night and sit by it. All damn night,” she wrote alongside a photo of herself bundled up in a jacket. “Waiting for someone to take advantage of my life again. Over and over I waited for it to stop and finally it did.”

She added, “But some of us aren’t as lucky to get out alive. Please today stand up for every soul Mistreated.” The actress finished her post with the hashtag #TimesUp.

Thorne began acting at a young age, booking guest-starring gigs on shows like “The O.C.” and “Dirty Sexy Money” before finding stardom on Disney Channel’s “Shake It Up.” She’s also dabbled in music, releasing a slew of singles with Zendaya, her co-star at the time.

Like many child stars before her, she later scrubbed away the Disney image with more adult roles in films like “The Babysitter” and “You Get Me.” She currently stars in the Freeform series “Famous in Love.”